10 Horrifying Torture Devices Still in Use Today

If you were asked to imagine torture devices, your mind would likely conjure up images of bizarre medieval mechanisms. But modern-day torture devices exist too, and you might be surprised to learn that torture still happens in today's world.

10. The Tiger Bench

China has a notorious history of persecuting Falun Gong practitioners, a spiritual discipline introduced in 1992. Many followers have faced harsh punishments, one of the most brutal being the 'tiger bench.' This torture method involves forcing a prisoner to sit on a long bench with a wooden board pressed against their back and head. The prisoner is strapped down, securing their back to the board, and their legs are tied to the bench. Bricks are placed beneath their feet until either the restraints give way or the prisoner’s legs break from the pressure.

In a chilling case from 2002, a woman named Ms. Wang was walking home when the authorities kidnapped her. She was subjected to torture on the tiger bench for two days and nights, enduring physical abuse and electric shocks. The shackles were so tight on her ankles that by the end of her ordeal, her bones were visible.

In addition to being tortured on the tiger bench, Ms. Wang was brutally beaten by the guards, left hanging naked on a wooden plank for male prisoners to humiliate her, had one of her eyes scorched with a cigarette, and suffered severe ear injuries from skewers. She ultimately passed away in 2007 while still in the custody of the police.

9. Hell Confinement

For Falun Gong practitioners unlucky enough to be captured, there exists a form of torture even more harrowing than the tiger bench: the hell confinement.

Hell confinement involves a device with both handcuffs and foot shackles, which are connected to a steel rod. The rod presses against the prisoner’s back, rendering them unable to walk, sit, use the toilet, or even feed themselves.

Zhu Hang, a Chinese woman, experienced the brutality of this method firsthand. After being arrested for practicing Falun Gong in a public park, she was taken to an undisclosed location and subjected to hell confinement. For seven days, she went without food, struggled to move, couldn’t sit, and had no choice but to relieve herself in her own waste before she was finally released.

8. The Tucker Telephone

If you found yourself incarcerated during the 1960s, Tucker State Prison Farm in Arkansas was one place you absolutely did not want to end up. During this time, the prison’s doctors began using a notorious torture device on some of the most difficult inmates, which became infamously known as the Tucker telephone.

The device operated by looping a ground wire around a prisoner's big toe and attaching a second wire, the 'hot wire,' to the prisoner’s genitals. A modified telephone was then cranked, sending electric shocks straight to the victim's private parts. And it wasn’t always a quick zap—prisoners who experienced a 'long-distance call' were subjected to repeated shocks.

The use of the Tucker telephone was finally prohibited in the 1970s.

7. Strappado

Though the strappado was widely used during the Renaissance, it made a disturbing comeback in the last century. Often referred to as Palestinian Hanging, this torture method involves suspending a prisoner by their arms, which are tied behind their head. This position causes the arms to be gradually wrenched from the shoulder sockets under the weight of the body. Eventually, when the prisoner can no longer support themselves, they collapse forward, causing difficulty in breathing.

One of the most recent instances of this brutal form of torture occurred in 2003, when Mandel al-Jamadi was subjected to it. He was arrested on charges of involvement in making explosives and sent to Abu Ghraib, where he tragically died during the torture.

6. Cold Cell

The CIA has six authorized interrogation techniques, one of which is essentially a form of torture. The cold cell involves placing a prisoner in front of an air conditioning unit for prolonged periods—sometimes for hours, days, or even years. This practice, however, hasn't been confined to the CIA alone.

The earliest documented use of the cold cell dates back to 1961, when prison guards at Parchman, Mississippi's state penitentiary sprayed civil rights activists with fire hoses before blasting the air conditioning system at full capacity for three days.

Vhuen Van Tai’s experience was probably the most horrific. Tai, the highest-ranking Viet Cong officer captured during the Vietnam War, was handed over to the CIA. He was confined to a small, white, windowless room where the air conditioning was cranked to full blast, leaving him in the cold for four continuous years.

5. Shuanggui

In China, shuanggui is a form of illegal detention used by the Communist party against individuals accused of corruption. However, in practice, it appears that almost anyone could be subjected to torture under shuanggui.

Inside these secretive detention centers, all kinds of torture are a possibility. Yu Qiyi, a 42-year-old chief engineer at a state-owned investment firm, was detained under shuanggui for 38 days. During his imprisonment, he was repeatedly submerged in freezing water until he was declared dead. Photographs of his body reveal severe bruising and scarring across his entire body. There is still no explanation as to why he was arrested in the first place.

Qiyi’s ordeal is not an isolated incident. Numerous others have been imprisoned under shuanggui for extended periods, with reports of tortures involving physical manipulation, sleep deprivation, simulated drowning (or even actual drowning as in Qiyi's case), beatings, burns, and electric shocks.

4. The German Chair

Syria’s ongoing civil war has brought about widespread use of torture, including a method employed by the Syrian government on rebels called the German chair. When a detainee is captured, they are strapped into a metal chair, with their arms and legs bound to the seat. The chair’s back is then bent backward, putting immense pressure on the spine, neck, and limbs, often leading to permanent injury. The principle seems to be that if your back doesn’t break, you’re somehow less than human.

Joseph Hallit is all too familiar with the horrors of the German chair. In 1992, after he had just earned his medical degree from the University of Damascus, Syrian forces arrested him. He was placed in solitary confinement for four years, followed by another four years of relentless torture.

The worst of the brutality he faced was the German chair. Hallit describes how his flesh was so severely stretched that he could see the nerves underneath. To this day, he bears 3-centimeter (1.2 in) wide scars on both arms from the painful stretching.

3. White Torture

White torture is often considered one of the most insidious forms of torment. It’s a psychological and emotional form of torture, where, instead of physical abuse like beatings, electrocution, or confinement in small spaces, the victim is subjected to sensory deprivation and complete isolation.

Amir Abbas Fakhravar is all too familiar with the horrors of white torture. He is reportedly the first person to have undergone this form of torment at the hands of the Iranian government. According to Amnesty International, 'the cells had no windows, everything was a monotonous creamy white. His meal consisted of white rice on a white paper plate. To use the toilet, Fakhravar had to slide a white slip of paper under the door to alert guards, who wore footwear designed to silence their steps. He was forbidden from speaking to anyone.'

Ebrahim Nabavi, another journalist who endured white torture, explained that the worst part was never being 'free' even after being released.

2. Waterboarding

Waterboarding is a simple but highly effective form of water-based torture. The victim is bound to a table with their legs raised and a cloth covering their face. Water is poured over the cloth for up to 60 seconds at a time, with the victim only being allowed to breathe for a few seconds in between. The technique induces suffocation and a terrifying sense of drowning.

This technique was first recorded in the 15th century and was widely used to extract confessions. According to historian Ed Peters of the University of Pennsylvania, it was seen as a necessary tool for interrogation, akin to modern-day cross-examination. Peters notes that the Inquisitors were 'more careful about it' than others at the time. Interestingly, a doctor was required to be present during these interrogations, though that did little to make the experience less painful for the victim.

During the 1800s, many nations around the world prohibited the practice. It wasn’t until the 20th century that waterboarding experienced a revival. It was employed by the Japanese in World War II, U.S. forces in the Philippines, and the French in Algeria, among others. Though evidence of its use on American soil is limited, there are some records. In 1983, Texas Sheriff James Parker, along with three deputies, was charged for restraining prisoners to chairs, covering their faces with towels, and pouring water on the fabric until they allegedly confessed. All were convicted and sentenced to four years in prison.

1. Cat O' Nine Tails

Although the use of the cat dates back to Ancient Egypt, it is still used as a method of punishment in Trinidad and Tobago. Even after the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ordered the country to pay $50,000 to a convicted rapist who had been whipped with the device, the practice continued. Since then, its use has declined, but some advocate for its return, suggesting it could be used on corrupt politicians.

While the cat's origins trace back to Ancient Egypt, it continues to be used as a form of punishment in Trinidad and Tobago, even after the Inter-American Court of Human Rights mandated the country to compensate a convicted rapist $50,000 for being whipped with the device. Although the cat's use has decreased, there are calls for its reinstatement, with some suggesting it could be applied to corrupt politicians.

By the way, the phrase 'letting the cat out of the bag' comes from the act of pulling the cat o' nine tails out of its bag before using it to whip someone.